Thoughts On the Microsoft Surface Tablet

The Microsoft Surface tablet with Windows RT has been out on the market for a few weeks now, and early reviews and first impressions have been mixed. Our own mobility expert John O’Neill Sr. received the device on launch day, and had the following to say in his Microsoft Surface review at the Petri IT Knowledgebase.

“The Surface RT is a robust device with clean lines, excellent features, and a comfortable feel. I don’t expect droves of iPad loyalists to drop their devices and embrace the Surface with unabashed joy, but for long-time Windows users and IT admins that have held off being integrated into the Apple ecosystem, the Surface RT may be just the tablet they have been waiting for.”

There’s also been reports that the touch cover for the Surface is suffering from some quality control problems, with some users reporting that the cover can split open at the edge where it connects to the Surface.

Finally, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer reportedly told a French publication that Surface for Windows RT sales have “been modest,” a misquote that was soon clarified by an official Microsoft statement to tech site Engadget that reiterated that Ballmer believes the reception to the Surface has been “fantastic.”

Regardless of where you fall on the Microsoft Surface opinion spectrum, we all have bigger and better things to look forward to: Microsoft has already announced that the Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro will be shipping in a few months, which should provide yet another reason for IT professionals to give Microsoft’s inventive new tablet a second look.

About the Author

Jeff James is the Editorial Director for the Petri IT Knowledgebase. He was formerly the editor-in-chief of both Windows IT Pro and Microsoft Technet Magazine, and has served as an editorial director at the LEGO Company. Jeff has nearly 20 years of experience as a technology writer and journalist, and started writing technology articles for AmigaWorld, Computer Gaming World, and other tech publications and websites in the early 1990's.